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In the Zone
| recorded = November 2002 – August 2003 | venue = | studio = |hlist=true| *Battery Studios *The DOJO *The Chocolate Factory *Triangle Sound Studios *3:20 Studios *Record Plant *Pacifique Studios *Westlake Recording Studios *Decoy Studios *Metrophonic Studios *Olympic Studios *Murlyn Studios }} | genre = | length = | label = Jive | producer = | prev_title = Britney | prev_year = 2001 | next_title = Greatest Hits: My Prerogative | next_year = 2004 | misc = }} In the Zone is the fourth studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 12, 2003 through Jive Records. Its eclectic music incorporates dance, house, reggae, trip hop, and hip hop styles with instrumentation from guitars, drums, synthesizers, strings, and Middle Eastern musical instruments. Its themes range from love, dancing, and in the case of songs such as "Touch of My Hand", sex and masturbation. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including Bloodshy & Avant, R. Kelly, Trixster, Moby, Guy Sigsworth and The Matrix. With the conclusion of the Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and the end of her relationship with Justin Timberlake, Spears planned to take a six-month break from her career; however, work for In the Zone began later that November. She began writing songs for the album while touring internationally, despite not knowing the direction of the album. She experimented with different producers, trying to find those with whom she had chemistry. The first song recorded was "Touch of My Hand", which Spears claims set the mood for the album. She co-wrote all but four tracks, and often changed the lyrics to suit herself. Spears stated she was an autobiographical songwriter, although not to the point where she felt self-exploited. She also explained that the sexual nature of In the Zone was subconscious and happened while she was in the process of developing the album. Spears collaborated with artists such as Madonna in "Me Against the Music" and the Ying Yang Twins in "(I Got That) Boom Boom". In the Zone received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its mix of different styles and Spears's songwriting though her vocals were criticized for being distant and processed. Commercially, In the Zone became an international success, debuting atop the charts in France, Mexico, Argentina, South Korea and the United States, and peaking inside the top ten in fifteen other countries. In the United States, she became the first female artist to have four consecutive number-one albums. Four singles were released from the album: "Me Against the Music", "Toxic" and "Everytime" met international chart success, all peaking at number one in Australia and Ireland and reaching top five positions elsewhere. To promote In the Zone, Spears performed the songs in a number of television appearances and also embarked on The Onyx Hotel Tour. The album and its music videos are largely seen by critics as the end of her transition from teen pop star to a more adult female artist. In 2009, Amy Schriefer of NPR listed In the Zone as one of The 50 Most Important Recordings of the Decade, calling it "a primer on the sound of pop in the 2000s". Background and development .|alt=A blonde female performer in a black-and-white ensemble, holding a microphone near her mouth.]] In November 2001, Spears released her third album, Britney, which portrayed more adult and provocative themes and featured the lead single "I'm a Slave 4 U". The album has sold over four million copies in the United States; nevertheless, it was viewed as "poor-selling" in comparison to her previous efforts. The following year, her relationship of three years with pop singer Justin Timberlake ended after months of speculation. After the Dream Within a Dream Tour in support of Britney finalized in July 2002, Spears announced she would take a break from her career for six months. In November 2002, she revealed that she had started working on her next studio album. She explained, "Well, actually, I just said that I wanted two or three weeks off. .... And the whole world was like, 'Ohmigod, [sic] she's gone..." While in Europe, Spears met with William Orbit and Daft Punk about possible collaborations, and originally confirmed Darkchild and The Neptunes as producers. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter about the direction of the record, Spears responded it was an organic evolution, adding, "It should just happen naturally from the way you feel. ... Whatever happens, happens". Additionally, Spears scheduled meet-and-greets with Timbaland and Missy Elliott in an effort to help evolve her sound. Elliott would also enlist in further production work with Nisan Stewart for Spears' project, however none of the initial material saw the light of day. Spears also held a writing session with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. Murphy stated, "We were both lying on the floor, head-to head, working on lyrics in a notepad. She seemed eager to please, but it went nowhere. She went to dinner and just never came back." Fred Durst was asked by Spears' management to submit material, and he wrote and produced three trip hop tracks that were recorded by Spears in January 2003. However, after news of an affair between them broke, Durst told Jive Records he was not going to let them use the songs for the album. In March 2003, Lauren Christy from The Matrix spoke about the development of the album with MTV News, and likened their work with Spears to Madonna's 1998 album Ray of Light. Scott Spock, also from The Matrix, continued comparing her to Madonna, saying, "She's taking it to the next level in her career. Madonna constantly takes what's in the club and puts what she does on top of it and makes it mainstream. I think Britney is starting to embrace that concept where she's looking to work on different stuff, instead of using the same familiar, and applying it to her. ... I don't think fans will be freaked out or upset. I think they'll be really into what's going to happen." Spears also previewed several songs to Quddus Philippe of MTV in May 2003, including "Touch of My Hand", "Brave New Girl" and "Everytime". Spears commented, "I've really been able to take my time and have creative control and make new album special, special, special." On August 27, 2003, Spears opened the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards performing a medley of "Like a Virgin/Hollywood" with Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott. The performance started with Spears appearing on stage on top of a giant wedding cake while wearing a wedding gown and veil; she sang the first few lines of "Like a Virgin" before Aguilera appeared from behind the cake and joined her. Madonna then emerged from the cake wearing a black coat and a hat and started singing "Hollywood" before proceeding to kiss Spears and Aguilera on the lips. Missy Elliott came out from a wedding chapel to sing her song "Work It" halfway through the performance. The kiss generated strong reaction from the media. The performance was listed by Blender magazine as one of the twenty-five sexiest music moments on television history. MTV listed the performance as the number-one opening moment in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards. Recording in 2004.|alt=Distant image of a blond woman. She is sitting on a swing hanging from two pieces of fabric. Smoke surrounds her. She is wearing a dress and has her legs crossed. She is holding a microphone and grabbing the swing.]] For In the Zone, Spears worked with hit producers such as Bloodshy & Avant, R. Kelly, Diddy, Christopher Stewart, Moby, Guy Sigsworth and The Matrix. She first started writing songs for In the Zone during the Dream Within a Dream Tour. Spears commented about writing while touring, "The only thing that was scary to me is that I didn't know if they were good. But You can’t trust anybody. You have to go with your feelings." Spears commented that she was an autobiographical songwriter, although not to the point she felt self-exploited. Following the end of the tour, Spears invited her friend and backing vocalist Annet Artani to her home in Los Angeles. They started writing songs at the piano, and shortly after, they traveled to Lake Como in Lombardy, Italy. Among the tracks they worked on was "Everytime", which Artani confirmed to be written as a response to Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River", as well as "Shine", written by Spears about her sister Jamie Lynn, which was left unfinished. Earnest recording of the album began in May 2003. Spears commented that although she did not know initially what direction she wanted to go with the album, she took time to work with different producers and to find those who she had chemistry with. The first song recorded for In the Zone was "Touch of My Hand", and Spears said it "really did provide a balance for the rest of the record. We just went from there." Following the recording sessions for "Everytime", Spears complimented Sigsworth, saying, "I just basically told him exactly how I wanted the song to sound. And he was so amazing because there's a lot of producers you tell them things and they don't get it. And you're like oh, that's not the right way. He got it just right. He was amazing." Christopher Stewart and Penelope Magnet, known collectively as RedZone, presented Spears with the third song they had written and produced, "Pop Culture Whore". While her management liked the track, she rejected it, telling them the song "sucked". After bonding with Spears during a night in New York City to "get in her world", as Magnet explained, it was easier to "actually write and know what she would and wouldn't say, to know where her real vibe is". Stewart and Magnet began working on the first version of "Me Against the Music"; Stewart came up with the track, while Magnet developed the melody on a piano and some of the lyrics. During the recording sessions, Stewart recalls that the studio's air-conditioning died for three days, but Spears "didn't complain or anything, and for me that shows she's where she is for a reason." While rehearsing for their performance at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, Spears played a finished version of "Me Against the Music" to Madonna. After Madonna commented that she liked the track, Spears asked her to do the song with her. RedZone then handed "Me Against the Music" to Madonna, who arranged and recorded her vocal additions on her own, therefore making the song a duet. Spears, who has been a fan of Madonna for years, was "beyond surprised" when she heard Madonna's verse. She said "I just asked her to do a little thing, but she really went there. She did a lot of stuff to it." RedZone were then enlisted to work on several more songs for the album, including co-writing "Early Mornin'", recording background vocals for "Outrageous" and producing "The Hook Up". The Matrix commented that after they presented songs to Spears, she tailored them to suit herself, especially the lyrics. Christy said, "... she really knows what she wants. She knows if she's trying something on that doesn't fit right for her. She's like, 'No, that's not me.' She's not one to strap on some sort of fake image." Christy also claimed to be impressed with Spears's vocal ability during the recording of "Shadow". Steve Anderson, Lisa Greene and Stephen Lee wrote "Breathe on Me" at Metrophonic Studios in London, England. Before meeting with the other writers, Anderson thought of two concepts for songs specifically for Spears: one he had worked on "for ages", and "Breathe on Me", which he drafted on the morning of the sessions. Greene and Lee did not like the first concept, and they wrote "Breathe on Me" with Anderson. The song was produced by Mark Taylor, who kept most of the programming done by Anderson. With Taylor, Spears recorded "Breathe on Me" and "And Then We Kiss", which did not make the album. Before the album was released, Spears's manager Larry Rudolph commented that it was important for Spears to continue moving away from a traditional pop sound, citing "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Boys" from Britney as departures from her previous music. Barry Weiss, then-president of Jive Label Group, added, "She has achieved what she set out to achieve, which was to make a mature album that didn't sound like something she would have done three years while still making a commercial album that has hit singles. ... It's the kind of record she should be doing right now, and it came down to her to make it." In the Zone was recorded at Battery Studios and The Dojo in New York City, 3:20 Studios, Decoy Studios, Pacifique Studios, Record Plant in Los Angeles, California, Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California, The Chocolate Factory, in Chicago, Illinois, Triangle Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, Metrophonic Studios and Olympic Studios in London, England, and Murlyn Studios in Stockholm, Sweden.In the Zone liner notes. Throughout the beginning of 2003, Spears started testing tracks by playing them in nightclubs such as Show in New York City. Music and lyrics According to Billboard, In the Zone marks a musical departure for Spears. Instead of traditional pop, the album is darker and more dance-oriented. Spears talked about the overall sound of the album with Rolling Stone, saying, "I'd describe it as trance-y, kind of vibe record—something you could listen to that's no so song-structured ... Of course I'm not doing '...Baby One More Time' and those massive hits anymore. I think this record is where I am at right now in my life. It's sensual, it's sexual. I'm probably writing about that subconsciously because I don't have that right now." Amy Schriefer of NPR stated the album is a mix of dance, house, crunk, Diwali beats, reggae and hip hop. According to William Shaw of Blender, the main theme of In the Zone is "Spears’s awakening to her sexuality as a single woman." The first single from the album, "Me Against the Music", features Madonna, but was constructed as a duet after she was added to the track. Spears and Madonna trade lines during the verses, and Madonna sings solo in the bridge. The instrumentation in the song includes influences of hip hop and funk guitars. The song's lyrics feature Spears and Madonna singing of the pleasures of letting go on the dancefloor, in "I'm up against the speaker / Trying to take on the music / It's like a competition". The second song, "I Got That (Boom Boom)", is an Atlanta-style hip hop track featuring the Ying Yang Twins. "Showdown" has "bubbly" beats and its lyrics, about "fighting and making up with carnal relations", include the lines "I don’t really want to be a tease / But would you undo my zipper, please?" Rolling Stone classified the song a pop-dancehall. The fourth track, "Breathe on Me", was described as the most sensual song of the record. Containing trip hop influences, Spears sings, "Oh, it's so hot, and I need some air/ And boy, don't stop 'cause I'm halfway there" and "Just put your lips together and blow." "Early Mornin'" depicts Spears looking for men at a club in New York City. The song has a percolating beat and featured subdued vocals from Spears, who purrs and yawns through the track. The nightclub Show is referenced. "Toxic", which Spears later named as her favorite song from her career, was originally offered to Kylie Minogue. Released as the album's second single, it contains elements of electropop and bhangra music, and features varied instrumentation, such as drums, synthesizers, high-pitched strings and surf guitars. Lyrically, "Toxic" talks about being addicted to a lover. "Outrageous", the fourth and final single from the album, is a hip hop-inspired track that according to MTV features Spears "whispering and moaning ... with a snake charmer melody giving the song an exotic feel." The lyrics talk about materialism and amusement, with the singer referencing in the chorus a number of things that give her pleasure. In "Touch of My Hand", which Spears felt it was comparable to Janet Jackson's "That's the Way Love Goes" (1993), she sings in a lower register. The instrumentation contains elements of Middle Eastern music and its lyrics refer to masturbation, "I will be bold/ Going to the places where I can be out of control/ Don't want to explain tonight/ All the things I try to hide." The ninth track "The Hook Up" has a reggae feel and features Spears singing in a Jamaican Patois accent. The power ballad "Shadow" talks about how reminders of a lover can still linger after he’s gone. "Brave New Girl" lyrics talk about a young woman finding her passion and losing inhibitions. Backed by choppy, electro-funk beats, she sings in a bouncy near-rap, "She's gonna pack her bags, she's going to find her way, she's going to get right out of this/ She don't want New York, she don't want L.A., she's going to find that special kiss." The song incorporates elements of the music of No Doubt, Blondie and Madonna. "Everytime" begins with a piano introduction accompanying Spears's breathy vocals, which build from soft to strong throughout the song. "Everytime" lyrics are a plea for forgiveness for inadvertently hurting a former lover. In the song, the singer explains she feels unable to continue in lines such as "Everytime I try to fly I fall / Without my wings I feel so small". During an interview with MTV, Spears said about the song, "It's about heartbreak, it's about your first love, your first true love. That's something all people can relate to, because you all have that first love that you think you're going to be with the rest of your life." When asked if "Everytime" was about Timberlake, she responded "I'll let the song speak for itself." The Rishi Rich's Desi Kulcha Remix of "Me Against the Music" removes the original melody of the song and adds a clattering backbeat and Punjabi shouts. In "The Answer", Spears sings that her lover is the answer to all her needs: "Who can hold me tight, keep me warm through the night? / Who can wipe my tears when it's wrong, make it right? / Who can give me love till I'm satisfied? / Who's the one I need in my life?". In "Don't Hang Up", she pleads on the phone for her lover to keep her satisfied long-distance. Promotion in 2011.]] In November 2003, Barry Weiss spoke to Billboard and said that In the Zone was being promoted in a worldwide level, exhausting areas such as print and electronic media, television, radio and video to raise awareness of the album's release. In addition, Jive worked with lifestyle marketer the Karpel Group to market the album to the gay community. Other broader-based marketing efforts included a tie-in with marketing company LidRock, where after ordering a soda at Sbarro, customers received a cup featuring the artwork and a three-inch disc in the lid featuring "Brave New Girl" and songs by two other artists. In December 2003, an updated LidRock disc included a remix of "Me Against the Music" without Madonna, as well as songs by fellow Jive acts Nick Cannon and Bowling for Soup. Regal Theaters also showed a short film that included footage of the making of Spears's music videos. Two national TV advertising campaigns began on November 1, 2003, one with a teaser ad in American comedy show Saturday Night Live and another exclusively on MTV. No sponsored cross-marketing campaigns were planned, as Larry Rudolph explained, "time it's going to be more about the music than about corporate tie-ins." In terms of international exposure, during a fourth-month period Spears was featured in seven mini TV-specials and more than one-hundred and fifty interviews outside the US. Spears first performed "Me Against the Music" at the 2003 NFL Kickoff Live on September 4, 2003 at the National Mall. The performance segued into a medley of "...Baby One More Time" and "I'm a Slave 4 U", which included pyrotechnics. On September 14, 2003, Spears played a surprise concert at Rain Nightclub in the Palms Casino Resort, and performed "Me Against the Music", "Breathe on Me" and a medley of "...Baby One More Time" and "I'm a Slave 4 U". On October 18, 2003, Spears performed "Me Against the Music" and "Everytime" during the twenty-ninth season of Saturday Night Live. Spears opened the November 2003 American Music Awards telecast with a performance of "Me Against the Music". On November 17, 2003, a concert special titled Britney Spears: In the Zone aired on American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The following day, she performed "Me Against the Music" and "(I Got That) Boom Boom" on the American music show TRL at Times Square. "Me Against the Music" was also performed on American late-night show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and American morning show Live with Regis and Kelly on November 17 and 24, 2003. She performed "Toxic", "Breathe on Me" and "Me Against the Music" as the headliner of the Jingle Ball on December 8, 2003, at the Staples Center. On January 24, 2004, Spears opened the 2004 NRJ Music Awards with a performance of "Toxic". In June 2004, Spears performed "Everytime" at the British music chart show Top of the Pops. Tour The Onyx Hotel Tour, which promoted In the Zone, was the fourth concert tour by Britney Spears. A tour to promote the album was announced in December 2003. Its original name was the In the Zone Tour, but Spears was sued for trademark infringement and banned from using the phrase 'in the zone'. Spears felt inspired to create a show with a hotel theme which she later mixed with the concept of an onyx stone. The stage, inspired by Broadway musicals, was less elaborate than her previous tours. The setlist was composed mostly by songs from In the Zone as well as some of her past songs reworked with different elements of jazz, blues and Latin percussion. Tour promoter Clear Channel Entertainment marketed the tour to a more adult audience than her previous shows while sponsor MTV highly promoted the tour on television shows and the network's website. The tour was divided into seven segments: Check-In, Mystic Lounge, Mystic Garden, The Onyx Zone, Security Cameras, Club and the encore. Check-In displayed performances with dance and advanced in the hotel theme. Mystic Lounge featured an homage to Cabaret and other musicals, while remixing some of Spears's early hits. Mystic Garden displayed a jungle-inspired stage. The Onyx Zone displayed a ballad performance with acrobats. Security Cameras was the raciest part of the show, with Spears and her dancers emulating different sexual practices. Club displayed a performance with urban influences. The encore consisted of a system malfunction interlude and Spears performed wearing a red ensemble. The tour received mixed reviews from contemporary critics, who praised it for being an entertaining show while criticizing it for looking "more like a spectacle than an actual concert". The Onyx Hotel Tour was commercially successful, grossing $34 million. In March, Spears suffered a knee injury onstage which forced her to reschedule two shows. In June, Spears fell and hurt her knee again during a music video shoot. She underwent surgery and the remainder of the tour was cancelled. Singles "Me Against the Music" was released as the lead single from In the Zone on October 20, 2003. The label's choice for the first single was originally "Outrageous", but Spears convinced them to release "Me Against the Music". The song received mixed reviews from critics. Some felt it was a strong dance track of the album, while others referred to it as lackluster and disappointing. "Me Against the Music" achieved international success, peaking atop of the charts in countries such as Australia, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland and Spain, as well as the European Hot 100 Singles. It also peaked at number two in Canada, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom, and inside the top five in many other countries; however, it only peaked at number thirty-five on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, being Spears' lowest-charting lead single. The song won the "Hot Dance Single of the Year" accolade at the 2004 Billboard Music Awards. In the song's accompanying music video, Spears chases Madonna inside a nightclub. "Toxic" was released as the album's second single on January 12, 2004. After trying to choose between "(I Got That) Boom Boom" and "Outrageous", Spears selected "Toxic" instead. The song received critical acclaim. "Toxic" attained worldwide success, reaching the top five in fifteen countries, while topping the charts in Australia, Canada, Hungary, Norway and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it became her first single to peak inside the top ten in almost four years. |title=Britney Spears Album & Song Chart History | Billboard.com|date=|accessdate=August 20, 2010|work=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media}} The accompanying music video for the song portrays Spears as a secret agent in the search of a vial of green liquid. After she steals it, she enters an apartment and poisons her unfaithful boyfriend. The video also includes interspersed scenes of Spears naked with diamonds over her body. "Toxic" won Spears her first Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, and its often referred to as one of her defining songs. "Everytime" was the third single released from the album, on May 17, 2004. It received positive appreciation from contemporary critics. "Everytime" was a commercial success, peaking inside the top five in most countries, while reaching the top of the charts in Australia, Hungary, Ireland and the United Kingdom and number fifteen on the US Billboard Hot 100. The music video for "Everytime" portrays Spears as a star hounded by paparazzi, who drowns in her bathtub when she starts bleeding from a wound in her head. In the hospital, doctors fail to resuscitate her while a child is born in the next room, implying she reincarnated. The original treatment would have had Spears killing herself from a drug overdose, but the plot was removed after it received criticism by several organizations, who perceived it as a glamorization of suicide. "Outrageous" was the fourth and final single from the album, released on July 20, 2004. The song was finally chosen as a single after it was selected as the theme song for the film Catwoman (2004). "Outrageous" received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised its funky sound, noting its influence from Michael and Janet Jackson, while others deemed it as "forgettable". The song only charted in the United States and Japan, entering many of ''Billboard'' s component charts and peaking at number seventy-nine on the Hot 100. The music video was being shot in New York City in June 2004, when Spears hurt her knee and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery. The video was cancelled, as well as The Onyx Hotel Tour and the feature in the Catwoman soundtrack. Critical reception | rev1 = About.com |rev1Score = | rev2 = AllMusic |rev2Score = | rev3 = BBC Online |rev3Score = mixed | rev4 = Blender |rev4Score = | rev5 = Entertainment Weekly |rev5Score = B− | rev6 = Rolling Stone |rev6Score = | rev7 = Slant Magazine |rev7Score = | rev8 = The Guardian |rev8Score = | rev9 = The New York Times |rev9Score = mixed | rev10 = Vibe |rev10Score = }} In the Zone received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, which indicates "generally positive reviews", based on 13 reviews. Jason Shawhan of About.com gave a positive review, saying that while the album's vibe is sexy, the result is a personal statement from Spears. He also added, "There's another thing about Spears' new record, as none of her previous albums ever managed to produce any kind of sustained emotional response than the pleasure that comes from a good pop record. I miss Max Martin, for sure, but it feels like Ms. S. has been paying attention to La Ciccone. To put it another way, this is Britney's True Blue." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that the album "is all club-ready, but despite some hints of neo-electro and the Neptunes, it doesn't quite sound modern—it sounds like cuts from 1993 or Madonna's Bedtime Stories and Ray of Light. Production-wise, these tracks are not only accomplished but much more varied than any of her previous albums." |title=In the Zone – Britney Spears | AllMusic|date=November 18, 2003|accessdate=November 15, 2010|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|publisher=AllMusic. Rovi Corporation}} Ruth Mitchell of BBC Online called "Early Mornin'" the best track of the album, but added, "Sadly, her attempts to prove her new-found maturity are what overwhelm and cloud all that is good about In The Zone." Mim Udovitch of Blender commented, "This I’m-coming-out record is an unhesitant move from songs of the heart to songs of the groin ... No longer a girl, freed from slavery, now fully a woman, she makes a pretty convincing mistress." David Browne of Entertainment Weekly called "Brave New Girl" and "Touch of My Hand" the best and most straightforward moments of the album, but added that "On a CD intended to celebrate her lurch into adulthood, Spears remains distant and submerged. For all her freedom, she's still finding her way." Jon Pareles of Rolling Stone said, "Spears's voice is so processed, its physicality almost disappears. ... In the Zone offers strip-club, 1-900 sex, accommodating and hollow. Beyond the glittering beats, Spears sounds about as intimate as a blowup doll." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine stated, "Britney's fourth album, In The Zone, finds the pop tart coming of age with a bold mix of hip-hop and dance music, wiping clean the last traces of her bubblegum-pop past. ... For the most part, In The Zone is a big, fat, thumping love letter to the dancefloor, which makes Madonna's involvement ... even more appropriate." Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian commented, "Unlike previous Britney albums, In the Zone has no filler and no shoddy cover versions, just 57 varieties of blue-chip hit-factory pop. There is southern hip-hop, deep house, Neptunes-style R&B, the ubiquitous Diwali beat and, most importantly, oodles of Madonna." Jason King of Vibe deemed it as "A supremely confident dance record that also illustrates Spears's development as a songwriter." "Toxic" won Spears her first and so far only Grammy Award, for Best Dance Recording at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards (2005). In the Zone won the award for International Rock Albums of the Year at the 2004 Japan Gold Disc Award. Commercial performance in 2009.|alt=Image of a blond woman. Her right hip is resting on a black divan, with her right leg extended to the end of the divan. Her left hand is extended in the air, while her right hand is grabbing the top of the divan. She is wearing a flesh-colored body suit with tattoos and nipple tassels. She is sporting a black blindfold and singing into a wireless microphone. The divan is surrounded by smoke.]] According to Nielsen SoundScan, In the Zone sold 609,000 copies during its first week of availability in the United States, debuting atop of the ''Billboard'' 200 the week of December 6, 2003. The album had the second highest debut sales of 2003 by a female artist (only behind Alicia Keys's The Diary of Alicia Keys), as well as the fifth highest debut sales of the year. Spears also became the second female artist in Billboard's history to have four consecutive number-one albums behind Janet Jackson who held the most at the time with five. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 16, 2003, for shipments of over two million copies in the United States. It has sold over three million copies in the country according to Nielsen SoundScan. In Canada, the album debuted at number two in the Canadian Albums Chart with sales of 31,000 units. It was certified triple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipments of 300,000 copies. In Australia and New Zealand, In the Zone debuted at number ten and twenty-five on the official charts, respectively. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) indicating shipments of 70,000 units. The album debuted at number three on the Oricon weekly albums chart in Japan, selling 59,128 copies. In Mexico, In the Zone was certified platinum on December 17, 2003, by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) for shipments of 150,000 copies. The album was also certified platinum in Argentina by the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers (CAPIF) for shipments of 40,000 copies in total. In the Zone debuted at number fourteen on the UK Albums Chart, staying on the chart for forty-three weeks and jumping to its peak of number thirteen on its thirty-fourth week in the chart. It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 300,000 copies. The album also debuted atop of the French Albums Chart. In April 2004, it was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for shipments of a million copies in Europe. In the Zone was the eighth best-selling album of 2003. Impact and legacy }} Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented, "If 2001's Britney was a transitional album, capturing Spears at the point when she wasn't a girl and not yet a woman, its 2003 follow-up, In the Zone, is where she has finally completed that journey and turned into Britney, the Adult Woman." Erlewine compared Spears to her peer Christina Aguilera, explaining that both equated maturity with transparent sexuality and the pounding sounds of nightclubs, but while Aguilera "comes across like a natural-born skank, Britney is the girl next door cutting loose at college, drinking and smoking and dancing and sexing just a little too recklessly, since this is the first time she can indulge herself." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine stated, "For a girl who's always seemed too sexed-up for her age, In the Zone finds Britney finally filling her britches, so-to-speak. Her little girl coquettishness actually works now—maybe because, at 21, she's finally a woman." Jason King of Vibe said the album showcased a transformed Spears, "no longer a girl, and all the woman any man can handle." In 2009, Amy Schriefer of NPR listed the album on The 50 Most Important Recordings of the Decade list. Calling it "a primer on the sound of pop in the '00s", she deemed Spears as the ideal vehicle for a futuristic sound, since she was still trying to break away from her teen pop past. Schriefer praised "Toxic" and "Everytime", and also stated, "While the decade's history of celebrity obsession, paparazzi voyeurism and conflicted constructions of female sexuality and motherhood are written on Spears' body, the decade's history of impeccably crafted pop is written on her body of work." Track listing | total_length = 50:02 | title1 = Me Against the Music | note1 = featuring Madonna | writer1 = | extra1 = }} | length1 = 3:43 | title2 = (I Got That) Boom Boom | note2 = featuring Ying Yang Twins | writer2 = | extra2 = Hamilton | length2 = 4:51 | title3 = Showdown | writer3 = | extra3 = Bloodshy & Avant | length3 = 3:18 | title4 = Breathe on Me | writer4 = | extra4 = Mark Taylor | length4 = 3:43 | title5 = Early Mornin' | writer5 = | extra5 = *Magnet }} | length5 = 3:45 | title6 = Toxic | writer6 = | extra6 = Bloodshy & Avant | length6 = 3:21 | title7 = Outrageous | writer7 = R. Kelly | extra7 = *Magnet }} | length7 = 3:22 | title8 = Touch of My Hand | writer8 = | extra8 = | length8 = 4:19 | title9 = The Hook Up | writer9 = | extra9 = }} | length9 = 3:54 | title10 = Shadow | writer10 = | extra10 = The Matrix | length10 = 3:45 | title11 = Brave New Girl | writer11 = | extra11 = Brian and Josh | length11 = 3:30 | title12 = Everytime | writer12 = | extra12 = Guy Sigsworth | length12 = 3:53 | title13 = Me Against the Music | note13 = featuring Madonna) (Rishi Rich's Desi Kulcha Remix | writer13 = | extra13 = *Rishi Rich }} | length13 = 4:31 }} | total_length = 53:57 | title14 = The Answer | writer14 = | extra14 = | length14 = 3:55 }} | total_length = 57:59 | title15 = Don't Hang Up | writer15 = | extra15 = Brian and Josh | length15 = 4:02 }} | total_length = 23:00 | title1 = Me Against the Music | note1 = featuring Madonna | writer1 = | extra1 = }} | length1 = 3:43 | title2 = Toxic | writer2 = | extra2 = Bloodshy & Avant | length2 = 3:18 | title3 = Shadow | writer3 = | extra3 = The Matrix | length3 = 3:44 | title4 = Everytime | writer4 = | extra4 = Sigsworth | length4 = 3:50 | title5 = Me Against the Music | note5 = featuring Madonna) (Rishi Rich's Desi Kulcha Remix | writer5 = | extra5 = *Rich }} | length5 = 4:29 | title6 = The Answer | writer6 = | extra6 = | length6 = 3:56 }} | title1 = Me Against the Music | note1 = featuring Madonna) (Music video | title2 = Toxic | note2 = Music video | title3 = Photo Gallery | title4 = On-Screen Lyrics }} | total_length = 11:55 | title1 = Toxic | note1 = Music video | length1 = 3:46 | title2 = Everytime | note2 = Music video | length2 = 4:16 | title3 = Chris Cox Megamix | note3 = 7 smash hit videos mixed together | length3 = 3:53 }} ;Notes *Track 6, "Toxic" contains a sample of "Tere Mere Beech Mein" by Lata Mangeshkar and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam from the film Ek Duuje Ke Liye. * }} signifies a co-producer. * }} signifies a vocal producer. * }} signifies a remixer. Personnel Credits adapted from AllMusic. *Algozee – performing ensemble *Ed Alton – string arrangements *Steve Anderson – instrumentation, programming *BlackCell – background vocals *Bloodshy & Avant – arranger, programming, producer, engineer, digital editing, instrumentation *DaCorna Boyz – keyboards *B.U.D. – background vocals *Courtney Copeland – background vocals *Tom Coyne – mastering *Kara DioGuardi – background vocals *Roxanne Estrada – background vocals *Chris Fudurich – engineer *Andy Gallas – engineer *Abel Garibaldi – programming, engineer *Roy Gartrell – banjo, guitar *Serban Ghenea – mixing *Brad Gilderman – engineer *Roy "Royalty" Hamilton – arranger, producer, background vocals, instrumentation *John Hanes – digital editing, Pro-Tools *Dug Hanes – Pro-Tools *Jimmy Harry – arranger, programming, producer, guitar, keyboards *Emma Holmgren – background vocals *Janson & Janson – conductor *Henrik Jonback – guitar *Jennifer Karr – background vocals *Brian Kierulf – programming, producer, engineer, vocal engineer, vocal editing, guitar, keyboards *Kyron Leslie – background vocals *Thomas Lindberg – bass *Steve Lunt – arranger, producer *Donnie Lyle – guitar *Sean Magee – engineer *Penelope Magnet – arranger, producer, vocal arrangements, vocal producer, background vocals *Madonna – featured vocals on "Me Against the Music" *Sean McGhee – engineer *Ian Mereness – programming, engineer *Charlie Midnight – songwriting *Moby – programming, producer, engineer, instrumentation *Pablo Munguia – engineer *Kendall D. Nesbitt – keyboards *R. Kelly – producer, background vocals *Rishi Rich – remixing *Emma Roads – background vocals *Chyna Royal – background vocals *Joshua M. Schwartz – producer, engineer, guitar *Guy Sigsworth – producer, instrumentation *Sheppard Solomon – producer *Britney Spears – vocals, producer, background vocals *Mark "Spike" Stent – engineer, vocal engineer *Christopher Stewart – producer, vocal arrangements, vocal producer, arranger, programming, background vocals, instrumentation *Stockholm Session Strings – strings *Rich Tapper – engineer *David Treahearn – engineer *Mark Taylor – producer, engineer *The Matrix – producer, engineer, background vocals *Brian "B Luv" Thomas – engineer, digital editing, vocal engineer *Mike Tucker – vocal engineer, vocal editing *Tumbi – performing ensemble *P-Dub Walton – digital editing *Wizardz of Oz – background vocals *Dan Yashiz – digital editing *Ying Yang Twins – background vocals Charts Monthly charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts Certifications and sales | accessdate=21 January 2014}} | accessdate=21 January 2014}} }} }} }} }} }} | accessdate=21 January 2014}} | accessdate=21 January 2014}} }} }} }} |salesref= and sold an additional 58,880 copies throughout 2004, according to the Korea Music Content Industry Association, formerly known as the "Recording Industry Association of Korea" (MIAK). The album sold a total of 130,025 copies based on the data available for these two years alone.}}}} }} | accessdate=21 January 2014}}}} }} ;Notes Release history References Books * }} External links * In the Zone at Metacritic * https://web.archive.org/web/20120716182907/http://www.infodisc.fr/Ventes_Alb_10Ans.php Category:2003 albums Category:Albums produced by Bloodshy & Avant Category:Albums produced by Guy Sigsworth Category:Albums produced by The Matrix (production team) Category:Albums produced by Sean Combs Category:Albums produced by R. Kelly Category:Albums produced by Tricky Stewart Category:Britney Spears albums Category:Jive Records albums Category:Albums produced by Moby Category:Hip hop albums by American artists Category:Albums produced by Mark Taylor Category:Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios